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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260542">The Princess and The Gardener</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyyonn/pseuds/halcyyonn'>halcyyonn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, F/M, Fluff, adrigami, adrimi, gardener princess au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:40:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260542</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyyonn/pseuds/halcyyonn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time he saw the princess, Adrien Agreste fell in love with her. Since then, he has been growing the roses under window to twist around the railings of her balcony, making a garden in the sky. Even when they aren't blooming, he leaves a rose for her each day. If only she could know about his feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrigami - Relationship, Adrimi - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Princess and The Gardener</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From the first time Adrien saw the princess, all he could think about was her. Whenever he saw her, his heart skipped a beat, or a few. By now, almost a year later, he had just accepted his feelings would never be returned. Princess Kagami Tsurugi was far above him, she would never even look at him. </p><p>Still, he used his gardening duties to leave her messages. He would grow the climbing roses under her balcony in such a way that they would twist around the small columns, offering her new roses as soon as they bloomed. Even in the cold months of winter, he would take some of the flowers from the greenhouse and leave them for her. But he never revealed his identity, leaving Kagami to speculate. Or so he thought.</p><p>That was, until Adrien climbed his ladder one morning and came face to face with Kagami herself. He had tried to scramble back down the ladder, but Kagami was quicker. She grabbed his hand, keeping him anchored to the balcony railing. “Stay, please.”</p><p>“I have to leave, Princess. There are other plants to attend to.” Adrien gently tried to remove his hand from Kagami’s, but her grip remained firm. </p><p>She looked down at him, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “You have a routine that you always follow, day in and day out. You always come here last, every time you make your rounds. So, stay.”</p><p>“You’ve been watching me?”</p><p>“Only between lessons.” Kagami smiled, still holding Adrien’s hand against the balcony. “The view of the gardens from my balcony is amazing. Even more so when I can see you.”</p><p>Adrien felt his face turn bright red, thrown off guard by Kagami’s comment. Was she flirting with him or was he misinterpreting everything? It wouldn’t be the first time. He could remember one of his high school friends having a crush on him for years, but he always thought she was just being friendly. That was something he didn’t want to repeat, especially since he had been hiding his feelings from Kagami for nearly a year. “Are you flirting with me?”</p><p>Kagami’s eyes widened and she let go of Adrien’s hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. My sincerest apologies.” Stepping back, Kagami bent her head slightly and avoided Adrien’s eyes. She looked embarrassed. </p><p>Deciding to stay, Adrien hoisted himself over the balcony railing and onto the smooth white tiles. “You don’t need to apologise. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page before I did anything stupid.”</p><p>Growing curious, Kagami raised her head again. She tried to guess what Adrien was about to say, but his face wasn’t giving much away. He was still blushing, but that was because of the flirting, right? “Like what?”</p><p>“Like tell you I like you, a lot.” Adrien stepped closer to Kagami, until he was almost touching her. “What did you think I was going to say?”</p><p>“I was hoping you would say you liked me, too.” Kagami copied Adrien, taking another step forward. He was taller than her by at least a head, something Kagami hadn’t noticed until they were this close. The pair was almost pressed against each other. At this point, there would be no way to make an excuse for their actions if they were caught. Kagami stepped away, putting distance between them. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I don’t want to keep you from your job.”</p><p>And she walked back into her room, closing the door behind her. Adrien was left on the balcony, trying to process everything that had happened in the past few minutes. It seemed like longer, but a quick glance at the large clock across the garden said otherwise. </p><p>Kagami watched from the window as Adrien climbed back over the railing and disappeared back down the ladder. She cursed herself for sending him away. There were so many other options she could have used, but instead she hid, ignoring her feelings, again. </p><p>Another glance out the window showed that Adrien was well and truly gone, with a single rose left behind. She hadn’t even noticed him holding it. There really were a lot of things she had missed. But that could change. </p><p>She knew Adrien had some feelings for her, and she knew that she reciprocated with her entire heart. The only thing left was to tell Adrien and hope he didn’t reject her.</p><p>One of the things that held her back from revealing her feelings was the voice in her head saying Adrien would never want to be involved with her because she was the princess. Dating her would mean countless sets of eyes watching his every move, and the danger that came with being close to royalty. Why would a gardener want to be thrown into that? Adrien looked happy where he was, tending to the acres of gardens around their palace. She couldn’t tear him away from that because she had feelings for him, she had to be selfless. As the next queen, she had to think of her people’s need above her own. </p><p>But what if she could be selfish, just this once?</p><p>A breeze wrapped around Kagami as she opened the door, picking up the rose. She lifted it to her nose, letting its scent flood her senses. It was from the greenhouse and reminded her of being a child. Kagami smiled, remembering all the times she had spent in the greenhouse, examining every single plant for any little changes. They were simpler times. Now, at nearly twenty-two years old, she wished her world could be a little more like that again. </p><p>Meanwhile, Adrien gazed up onto the balcony. He had seen Kagami take the rose from where he was hiding behind the greenhouse, and wished he stayed. There were so many things he could have said, but instead he had just left. There wasn’t even any work left to do, yet he tried to make himself look busy for just a few more minutes around Kagami. He was a mess, a completely love struck mess.</p><p>Adrien nodded, promising himself that tomorrow he would tell Kagami how he felt. He had been so vague today that she had even thought he was uncomfortable. Tomorrow afternoon, after he had finished everything, he would visit her again and tell her how he truly felt. There would be no mistaking his intentions after that.</p><p>The morning, Adrien woke up earlier than usual, eager to begin his day. If he could finish early, he might be able to spend more time with Kagami, if she was free. That was the goal.</p><p>A few hours later, Adrien had finished everything he had to do and was on his way to the greenhouse. There were plenty of roses he could take to Kagami, and today he wasn’t just going to give her a single flower. Kagami deserved more than a single flower, she deserved every rose in the royal gardens. </p><p>With a spring in his step, Adrien crossed the path leading to the palace, stones crunching under his feet. There was noise coming from his right, people moving and horses neighing. Adrien turned his head to see what was happening. When he did, his eyes connected with Kagami’s for a brief moment before she was ushered into the waiting carriage. </p><p>Adrien felt his heart drop. He remembered hearing about the royal family going on a trip in a few weeks, but had time really passed that quickly? It seemed like yesterday that he had heard the news, but just like the clock told him last night, time moved strangely. Adrien could remember the sadness he had felt when he first realised he wouldn’t be able to see Kagami for a few weeks, but now it was even worse. Just as he had been about to confess his feelings, she was sent to another country to be a diplomat for the kingdom. </p><p>The next few weeks were much quieter than they usually were. Spring was rapidly approaching and in no time, the roses under Kagami’s balcony would be blooming. As always, Adrien would guide them around the railings and create a garden high above the ground, just for Kagami. He spent extra time planning, after all, not having to leave roses for Kagami gave him more time each day. But he would trade the extra time to see Kagami again in an instant. She hadn’t even been gone that long, yet he was acting like they had been apart for years. </p><p>A loud trumpet played across the grounds. Immediately knowing what it meant, Adrien shoved his spade into his pocket and sprinted towards the driveway. He passed multiple other gardeners, none of them giving him a second glance. </p><p>When Adrien turned the corner, he saw the royal carriage roll to a stop. Various servants rushed around, collecting luggage, and opening the door. Kagami stepped out, letting the long train of her dress sweeping behind her. She turned, her eyes sweeping over the landscape in front of her, until she saw Adrien. </p><p>She spoke to one of the servants next to her before moving through the crowds towards Adrien. No one tried to stop her, and she breezed straight over to Adrien. She was only a few metres away when she spoke, barely even looking at Adrien. “Follow me, please.”</p><p>Without another word, she walked past. Adrien followed her without a second thought and the pair walked through the gardens. Soon, they reached one of the gardens Adrien had never been in before. There were a few of them that were maintained by the head gardener and the head gardener alone. They were standing outside the Memorial Garden, a place for the past rulers to rest forever. Kagami opened the gate and beckoned Adrien inside.</p><p>“Am I even allowed to be here? I’m not the Head Gardener, I could lose my job over this.” Despite the beauty around him, Adrien couldn’t help but worry. If he was caught here, the consequences were severe. Everything about the garden was designed for privacy, from the plants that rose high into the sky to the imposing gates. And yet, here Adrien was, not being royal or important enough to be inside on his own. Kagami smiled, offering her hand to Adrien. “No one will dare fire you with me here, I promise. Come on, I want to show you something.”</p><p>They walked for a few more minutes, winding around bends Adrien didn’t even know existed. Just as Adrien thought they were about to leave the palace grounds, Kagami pulled him to the side. She pushed her hand through what appeared to be a curtain of vines and moved her hand around until she found what she was looking for. A clicking sound echoed into the garden and a door swung open behind the vines. </p><p>“This was one of my favourite places to be as a child, right next to the greenhouse. We should be able to talk here.” Kagami lead Adrien over to a stone bench and sat down, patting the seat next to her. “About everything that happened before I left, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have flirted with you and I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable. If you want to avoid me, I’ll understand completely.”</p><p>Adrien cupped Kagami’s face and leaned closer to her. “Kagami, I was never uncomfortable. I’ve never been uncomfortable around you, even if we haven’t talked that much. Please don’t apologise.”</p><p>As their faces grew closer together, both Adrien and Kagami’s eyes began to flutter shut. Soon, they could feel the other’s breath against their lips as the world faded around them.</p><p>“I like you, Kagami. Even if I’m not supposed to, I can’t help but want to be around you.”</p><p>Kagami felt her heart flutter in her chest. Those were the words she had been waiting for since she first discovered who was leaving her flowers in winter and growing the roses towards her in the warmer months.  “I like you, too, Adrien. Maybe more than that.”</p><p>“I’m glad you do, because I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t.” Both of them smiled, happy with their own little world, hidden among the roses that looked just like the ones that had started everything. And it couldn’t have led to a better place or situation than it already had.</p>
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